7 – Trip 2

On the 31st of May, we had a second planned trip with our tutor group, to Margate.

When we arrived after a 1.45-hour journey from Victoria at Margate Leigh showed us around Margate telling us the town’s history. The small sea city that belongs to Kent was originally a holiday destination with its beaches and especially its pleasure park Dreamland. Not a surprise this a huge part of the city and shaped its infrastructure and architecture but not everything. There was a part of the town wich I did not expect, the art side. This art side presents itself in the form of galleries, workshops, studios but also shops and cafes.

The first thing we visited was Leigh’s studio, where he showed us his most reached work still wet, in the making and unfinished: 3 keys and some painted dartboards. He told us how he is fascinated by the cities history and how it inspires him. Then he showed us his collection, holding some impressive pieces of a difrent artist.

After this, we visited the studio of another artist, which told us about the space and how they developed the studios and their further plans with the building LIMBO.

After another visit to another studio, we ended at the Turner Contemporary, which sits directly on the sea exhibiting a show called ‘every day is a new day’, featuring the two artists Michael Armitage, and Phyllida Barlow. The show prizes the importance of art and its impact on the world, with a focus on its positive value and aspects. It was a very engaging and playfull exhibition which also formed a part fore a group of primary school children that created work for a part of the show.

the visit was very informative, and during my way back home I tried to convert some of the expressions of this weird and beautiful town into some sketches, not sure what I should think about the place.